Standing in the DC Sun
by shakyira.allen
Summary: After thinking about everything in her life that has transpired and taking into consideration what's best for her, Olivia finally comes to a decision about which of one of the two men in her love life she actually wants to be with and after this, her life begins to change for the better as that dark cloud above her evaporates and she steps out and stands in the sun. OLAKE ENDGAME
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 – Is This a Booty Call?**

**A/N: Firstly, I'd like to start off with saying I am NOT a writer, writing is definitely not one of my creative strong points, I was born with the performance gene, LOL, but I absolutely love Jake and Olivia from ABC's Scandal and I've had this idea floating around in my mind for a while so I thought I'd finally get it down on paper and there's not enough Olake fanfiction on here so, here you go, hope you guys enjoy reading!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Scandal or any of these characters**

**Olivia's POV**

I truly missed life on the island. As weird as it sounds, I did. Don't get me wrong, I missed my life in DC but it was just something about living on the island that made me feel alive. For once in my life, I actually felt at peace, no drama, no complications, no issues. The clear and serene blue waters, the sunlight shining down on me, finally feeling relaxed and him. Waking up to his gorgeous face every morning. I felt safe and protected. It was comforting knowing Jake would always be there for me and that he wasn't going anywhere. On the island, it was just me and him, living in the moment. That morning, I had a this strange inkling, my gut kept telling me something was about ruin our moment and my gut was never wrong. I know it's wrong to say but why did I open that letter? "_Don't open it" _he said. "_It's Pandora's box, you open that bad things fly out, the sun goes down"_ and damn was he right. As soon as I opened that letter and discovered what was inside I could literally feel the sunlight escape me and just like that, I was literally dragged back into the dark. My thoughts were all over the place. "Harrison's dead?" "How did this happen?" "Why did this happen?" "Who could've done this?" but my main concern was knowing I had to go back to DC. I really didn't want to but I had to, for Harrison. As soon as I stepped off that plane in Washington DC, it was all over, that dark cloud that would follow me regularly had reappeared, and the term standing in the sun felt like yet another constructed fantasy I had been told by yet another man I cared for.

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**Morning after the "booty call"**

Olivia woke up the morning after comfortably resting on amongst Jake's torso after hours of making love. The DC sun rays were seeping through the blind shutters and she heard the sounds of birds chirping. For a second, it felt like she was back in Zanzibar. She couldn't help but have constant thoughts about how many mornings were like this on the island. Feeling love, comfort and security in his arms, ignoring and blocking out the rest of the world. She couldn't deny the sense of security and tranquillity she experienced while like this in this very moment. Her thoughts were suddenly disturbed when she noticed Jake stir in his sleep.

She decided to try to take his mind off of whatever she believed was bothering him by reaching up to kiss his earlobe. The kiss was soft and tender and the sound of what she was convinced was a moan from a half asleep Jake was sweet music to her ears. She took pride in the fact that just her simple kisses could pleasure him. She proceeded to go lower and started leaving kisses all over his collarbone. This was enough to fully awake him from his slumber and he began to slowly caress and run his hand along her back.

"Liv, what are you doing" he asked whilst still rubbing her back with a draggy voice and slight smirk on his face. He couldn't deny he was enjoying it but he didn't want this to go any further.

"Shhh, just relax. As you would usually say, there's no talking on my turn, so shut up and let me kiss you" she continued to please him with her kissing starting with his collarbone and going further down to his left and then right nipple.

"Okay Liv, calm down now" Jake knew where this was going. He expected her to have her mouth gripping on his member any second. Although deep down he wanted her to and could feel his member preparing itself he just couldn't let himself get attached to her that any more so he quickly shuffled to the other side of the bed before she could.

"What are you doing?" she demanded with a confused look on her face

"I have to get ready" he answered as he began to place his boxers on and proceeded to search the room for the rest of his clothes.

"Get ready for what? You don't have a job"

"No but I do have a life. One that does not revolve around you because you're not my girlfriend and I'm not you're boyfriend. We're not on the island any more, we're no longer standing in the sun. I'm a busy man Olivia."

Olivia's blood began to boil as she listened Jake spew out those words again. She rose off the bed and continued to stare at Jake with and enquiring and disgusted look.

"Is all this really necessary? You're being a real jerk right know, you know that?"

"Is all what necessary Olivia? I'm not doing any thing wrong? So, when do you wanna do this again."

"You know what, forget it" she whispered as she lowered her head and walked out of Jake's hotel room and slamming the door.

Olivia couldn't believe what she just heard She never thought Jake would become like this. She always thought he'd be more comforting and understanding, not a total jerk who only wanted sex from her. But then again when she thought about it, she could comprehend this sudden change of attitude from

**Jake's POV **

I know I was out of order. I know I was come across as an act but I really can't do this any more. She knows I love her unconditionally, with all my heart. She knows I care for her. She knows I'd fight to the death for her, she knows I'd risk everything to protect her, she knows I'd do anything just to finally see a smile on her face, she knows her happiness and well being is MY main priority and concern. I'd commit myself to her everyday showing her she deserves the world, the universe and nothing else. SHE is the love of my life! But her heart belongs to another man. I have to keep this wall up, this façade of not really wanting to be with her every minute of the day to protect myself, I just cant take the risk of waiting for her to finally tell me I'm the one she wants but if that's not the case then its okay, as long as she's happy, I'm happy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 – You're in Love with Another Man, Right?**

***Olivia Daydreaming/Island Flashback***

"Good morning" Olivia said with a seductive smile across her face

"Good Morning to you too!" Jake replied as he reached down to place a kiss on her forehead. Jake loved seeing Olivia's face first thing in the morning, even better, she was smiling and it was all because of him and he took pride in that.

Jake then placed a kiss on her lips. It then became a more passionate one and he could tell Olivia was enjoying it and didn't want it to stop. He then kissed her one more time before rolling out of bed.

"Hey, I was comfortable here" Olivia said with the seductive smile still present.

"Oh, I know you were Miss Pope but if we're never gonna get out this bed if we continue" Jake replied

"True. You going in the shower? Cause if you are, please don't take forever like usual. I've got a busy day planned."

"Oh really, looks who's talking? You spent like an hour in the bathroom last Wednesday." Jake laughed

Olivia couldn't deny that she didn't admire and appreciate Jake's humour and how she and him could literally turn any topic into a funny conversation. In that moment they just stared at each other, they could only gaze at each other out of admiration and gratitude for each others presence.

"I'll be quick, I promise. And when you get out I might just have a surprise for you." said Jake.

"Okay, I'll see you in a little while." Olivia responded as her head fell back onto the pillow.

About an hour later, Olivia had returned to bedroom from the shower searching for Jake. She then tried the living room and the kitchen but he was nowhere to be found.

"Jake?!" she yelled she continued to call his name until she approach the kitchen window and noticed him standing on the beach with a bottle of wine in his hand.

"Hey, I've been calling you. Didn't you hear me?"

"Yeah, sorry I was just too focused on making sure everything was perfect."

"Oh, right for my surprise. So where is it?" Olivia responded while moving her head around in search for this so called surprise.

"Close your eyes"

Olivia did just that as Jake took her hand and lead her to the surprise he had planned

"I feel like we've been walking for ever Jake"

"We're here, you can open your eyes now."

Olivia opened her eyes to find a breakfast picnic laid out perfectly to the last detail.

"Oh Jake, it's beautiful" she gasped barely getting the words out.

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Olivia's daydreaming was disturbed by a phone call. She reached over to her bedside drawer to discover it was her "Fitz" phone ringing and not her normal one. She wanted to ignore the call but she knew he would be persistent and not give up. She pressed the answer button and put the phone to her ear. She sighed heavily without muttering a word as she wondered what Fitz could possibly want at this time in the morning.

"Aren't you going to say anything Livvie?"

"What? What do you want Fitz?"

"I need you to come to the White House. I have a family crisis on my hands."

"I don't really think it's a good idea for me to be at the White House right now. I'm not in the mood for Cyrus' bitching and moaning."

"Livvie please, I really need your help. You're always saying there's no one else in the world better than you at what you do".

Olivia's heart would normally melt at the sound of her pet name from his name and she couldn't deny that it still kind of did. She could hear the upset and his voice and decided to give in to him.

"Okay" she whispered.

"I'll be there soon" she replied.

"Thank you" Fitz said

Deep down Olivia didn't want to admit to herself that she still loved Fitz no matter what and she hated herself for it almost everyday but she loved Jake too, not as much as Fitz but she loved Jake too. Olivia had already come to a decision about who she wanted to be with but that phone call changed everything and clouded her judgement. She found herself rethinking her decision again. She hated that Fitz had that much power over her but she stayed hopeful that one day in the future maybe he would change, maybe he'd be more considerate of her and her feelings. Her optimism got the best of her and she hoped that whilst at the White House maybe she could try again with Fitz.

Olivia walked down hall towards the oval with her head held high feeling optimistic about what she hoped would occur.

"Lauren,hi"

"Miss Pope, is the President expecting you."

"Yes he is"

As soon as Olivia walked through the door to the oval, her gut told her something was wrong. She tried her best not to acknowledge it and thought she was just being paranoid.

"Hi" Fitz hesitated.

"Hi" Olivia said with hesitant look on her face

The 2 of them just stared at each other for about 10 seconds straight before Olivia finally broke the silence. She suspected he had been drinking for a while as he had a glass of scotch in his hand.

"So, what's the problem." Olivia continued to gaze at him as he took a short while to answer.

"Fitz, what's wrong." He just stared at her with a stern look on his face like he was about to throw the glass right at her.

"Nothing. There's no problem...I lied. I just needed to get you here."

At that moment, Olivia was pissed about the fact that yet again she practically summoned by Fitz. She couldn't believe that he would stoop so low as to lie to her just to get her to the White House.

"Are you serious? You lied about having a family crisis just to get me here."

"Yes. Because we need to talk Olivia!"

"Talk about what exactly Fitz?! You're really starting to piss me off."

They both kept their focus on each others faces, just waiting for a change in emotion from each other or for more harsh words to spew out of each others mouths. After a short pause, Fitz spoke.

"Where did you go? You just took off for 2 months all alone?"

Olivia tried to dis-acknowledge the deep anguish and animosity she could see in his eyes. It made her feel just as bad as he did.

"Yes, I did." she lied

The anguish and animosity that was present in his face quickly turned a irritation as he scoffed after Olivia said this as he knew damn well that she was lying.

"Oh really? Not according to this." Fitz walked to his desk and grabbed a beige folder and forced it into Olivia's hand. She skimmed through the folder and noticed tonnes of photos, address',airport and flight departure details and delivery information. There were photos of her and Jake leaving many airports, boarding flights and their time on the island. Her jaw literally fell to the floor. She had never been more frustrated in her entire life.

"You...you had me followed?" she said angrily with tears almost welling up in her eyes.

"Yes I did! You had the nerve to runaway with him and leave me alone! You owe me a damn explanation!"

Olivia was about to explode but she tried to remain calm as she felt guilty about Gerry's death.

"I owe you?" Olivia scoffed

"I had to leave. I had no choice, I couldn't deal with this any more. All the drama and commotion and the upset. I had had enough! I am so sorry for Gerry's death I really am, but I am not to blame for it."

"That's not the point Olivia, you still left me all alone!"

Olivia finally allowed her rage to slowly release.

"I left you?! What about when you left me?! After you found out about defiance. You begged me to wait for you and I gave up the possibility of having an amazing life with a man I cared very much for. And what did you say to me after you found out and I said I'd wait for you? Screwing my mistress is one thing but marrying her would be political suicide.

"I was angry Olivia, you betrayed. You made me believe my presidency was won fair and square and it was really based on a lie. I didn't mean what I said back then."

"You know what the sad thing is? I was the only one who was against it and everybody else partook in defiance for their own selfish agenda."

Olivia stopped for a second to catch her breath

"Liv..."

"NO! Let me finish. Cyrus got to be chief of staff, Mellie got to be first lady, Verna got to be the supreme court justice and what did I get? The man I love completely unavailable for the next 4-8 years. And do you know why I did it? Because I saw how badly you wanted it after the way your father treated and I could've disagreed to defiance for my own selfish agenda because you would actually be at least sort of available. But I did defiance because I LOVE YOU! And if you loved me half as much as you claim you, you would've let me explain there and then but you didn't!"

Fitz was still staring at her with slight anguish but he also felt a little guilty too. He allowed Olivia to continue.

"And then ten months later you had audacity to do the most despicable thing you have ever done to me. You had the nerve to drag me into a closet and have sex with me. I actually thought that we might actually give us a chance and then you said you may not be able to control your erections around me but that didn't mean you wanted me. Do you have any idea how that made me feel?! And after YOU ended things with me, you had me stalked and had camera's put up in my apartment and even had the intention of sabotaging any future relationship I could've had. Who the hell do you think you are? I'm not your property and I don't belong to you and I don't show places because you want me or when you're bored or lonely or horny! You say I left you...but how is that possible when we were never really together?"

Olivia was staring directly into his grey eyes. She could still see the anguish and animosity present in his face but not because she had left him but because of everything she had just said to him.

"Olivia, I'm so sorry."

"No, don't! You know, I lay in bed at night thinking about what my life is. Seriously what the hell has the past 5 years of my life been?! Nothing heartbreak and pain and sleepless nights and crying and promises from a man who can't keep them! I've completely lived my life for you and you offer me nothing! I can't believe you actually expect me to wait around for you and pine over you. IT'S PATHETIC!"

Olivia paused for a second and watched Fitz remain in the same position as he was with an sadder look in his eyes. She felt a little guilty for what she was about to do but she knew she finally had to start living for herself. Fitz finally decided to speak up.

"What are you saying Olivia?" Fitz asked

"I...I can't do this any more. We're...we're done Fitz. Its over."

Olivia grabbed her purse from the couch and raced towards the oval door but Fitz got there before she did.

"NO! YOU'RE NOT LETTING ME GO! I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU, YOU'RE MY EVERYTHING!"

"Really Fitz? Because you have a funny way of showing it. Just let me go...please."

Fitz could see the tears welling up in her eyes along with slight fear. He slowly let go of the door knob and moved to the side for Olivia to walk out.

"Just so you Liv, I will never give up on you. I don't care if takes 1 year, 2 years or 10. You're mine. You will always be mine."

Olivia walked out of the Oval office and down the White house corridors finally for the first time in 5 feeling happiness and pride. She had never felt so proud in her entire life. For once, she did something for herself and finally stood up to Fitz. And now she was on her way to do something she should've done a long time

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She turned up to Jakes hotel room with the widest smile ever and a bottle of wine she and him had shared on the island. She knocked on his door waiting for him to answer. The door opened.

"Hi."

"Hi." Jake replied


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 – I'm Not Going Anywhere**

Olivia stared at Jake through the slight crack in the door and could see he didn't really seem amused.

"This hallway is pretty cold Jake, are you gonna let me in or not?"

"Is this another booty call?" Jake asked

"No it's not, just open the door." Olivia said annoyed

"I'm working Liv."

"NO YOU'RE NOT BECAUSE YOU DONT HAVE A DAMN JOB JAKE!. Why are you being so damn childish, just open the door." Olivia yelled.

Jake noticed how upset and frustrated she was getting by looking into her eyes which is a sight that he normally hated to see so he let the chain off the door and motioned his hands for her to come in.

"Thank you" Olivia said as she walked into his hotel room. She rested the bottle of wine she had onto the coffee table and took a seat on the sofa.

Jake went to get some wine glasses and came back and stood in front of her

"Clearly this is not a booty call. So what are you doing here?" Jake asked.

Olivia paused for a second

"We need to talk...but I think you should go first."

"Talk about what Olivia?" Jake asked sternly

She hesitated as she placed her hands together.

"About...us. Look I don't really know how to start so I think you should Jake."

Jake looked at her sternly as he picked up his wine glass and poured himself a drink.

"You really want me to start Liv?"

"Yes Jake, go ahead, say what you want. I'll listen, I have a feeling you've got a lot to say anyway." Olivia replied.

Jake knew exactly what points he wanted to get across, to the last detail. He was sick and tired of the fact that he had stood in the shadow of Fitz and was always playing second fiddle. It hurt him even more knowing Olivia had feelings for him that she would never admit out loud and it infuriated him that Fitz continued to break Olivia's heart and hurt her and she allowed it to happen.

"Okay Olivia, you really wanna know what my problem is?...What are we? Seriously, because I've found myself asking that question everyday since the first night we spent together. Granted that night went south but I still felt something with you and I know you did too." He brings his hand to his face and swipes it down due to the fact he didn't really want to upset Olivia with what he was about to say but he did anyway.

"I love you and you know that and I know you feel something for me too. But I can't deal with being second best and you confuse me at times." Olivia looked disoriented, not being able to comprehend what he meant.

"Are we boyfriend and girlfriend? Because I'm pretty sure we've been in more of a real relationship than you've ever been in with him. Am I just your confidant because I'm the first person you call to talk about your problems. I'm always your shoulder to cry on and I'm always the one you're begging for favours, I'm the one that comforts you when you feel scared and lonely. You don't allow yourself to be vulnerable with anyone else but ME!...You know how I feel about you and you've pretty much used me on multiple occasions and I've been okay with it because I love you unconditionally, but it really isn't okay...and the sad thing is that you don't see this because it's the exact same way he treats you. Jake took a long breath and knelt down in front of her and took both of her hands in his, slightly rubbing his thumbs along them. "Olivia you deserve the world and so much more and I just wanna be the one that gives it to you because I'm in love with you, I love you more than..."

Olivia had stayed focused on his eyes the entire time he was speaking but she lowered them to his hands as she cut him off to say what she wanted to say.

"I love you too." she said quietly.

Jake couldn't believe what he had just heard. He was desperate for her to say it and constantly provoking it but he'd never actually thought she'd say it. That one sentence hit him like a ton of bricks.

"What did you just say?" he replied in shock as he raised his head and stared at Olivia.

Jake stood up and Olivia rose from the couch as she continued to gaze into Jake's eyes. She took a step closer to him and cupped his face.

"I said...I love you too. I do Jake and I can't believe it's taken me this long to realise this but I do. And I want to make this work, I want us to work if you're willing to try. And even though I still have feelings for Fitz, deep down I wish I didn't. I just want a normal life and to live in a world without complications and drama. I just wanna be happy. And that can happen if I'm with you...say something please."

Jake continued to stay focused on her on her eyes. What he saw was genuine love and passion for him. He had never been this glad in his whole life, to finally hear the woman he loves say she loved him back, just as much was more important to him than anything else.

"That's all I ever wanted to hear." he said as he cupped her face and used his thumbs to stroke along her cheeks. He instantly leaned in to kiss her. Olivia's hands reached the back of his neck and she kept them there. They began kissing each other slowly but passionately. Their tongues intertwined as the kissing gradually got slower. Jake stopped to remove and unbutton her shirt, she did the same with his. They continued to passionately kiss each other as Jake grabbed her lower half and picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and kept them securely there as he carried her to the bedroom. They made love that night but something felt different between the both of them, not in a negative way, but in a positive way. They both felt like different people, especially Olivia as she felt something empowering about being intimate with another man without being emotionally tied to Fitz and Jake felt that he finally had her, ALL of her. He knew this was not like the other many times they had been intimate because this time he was aware that Fitz was finally out of the picture for Olivia and it was just them, in that bed, in that moment. Nothing else mattered.

**The morning after**

Olivia's naked body cuddled into his was the first thing Jake saw in the morning. He took a look at the clock on his bedside table and noticed it was 7:32 am. He had his arms wrapped tight around Olivia's waist with her head rested on his chest. He just stared at her and took in how beautiful she was, how her breathing pattern almost matched his, how he could feel her heartbeat. He then lightly kissed her forehead and then he thought to himself, _is she comfortable? _He wasn't surprised he came out with this statement as putting Olivia's wants and needs first was second nature to him and he had no shame in it. _She's mine, she's really mine_ he thought to himself as tears began to well up his eyes. From that moment then he couldn't be happier about Olivia being in his life.

As Olivia stirred in her sleep and began to wake up, Jake remained in the same position. She looked up at him and saw his smile and eyes gazing into hers.

"Good morning." Jake whispered as he played with her hair.

"Hey, good morning to you too." Olivia said with a sleepy voice and her eyes half open. Jake lowered his head to give her a quick kiss on the lips.

"What time is it?" Olivia asked. Jake smiled and gazed down at her as she said this. "7:32" He replied.

"I've gotta get ready for work soon, damn." Olivia whispered. Jake pulled her into her him closer and cuddled her tighter and kissed her on the forehead. " Can't you just get Quinn and Huck to handle the office today? We can stay like this all day, I can even do that thing to you." Jake said with a smirk before raising his eyebrow. Olivia laughed at this statement

"Well, I guess I could go in later. We could just cuddle for now." Olivia replied.

"That would be perfect." Jake said with a smile. He held onto her tighter and they stayed quiet for about 10 minutes until Olivia decided to break the silence.

"Jake?"

"Mmmhmm?" He hummed while playing with her hair

"You were right. When you said I was scared, you were right. I was scared because it just seems that all throughout my life those I've let in and those that are supposed to love me have just let me down or destroyed me and I was scared you would do the same and I just couldn't let anyone else put me through that again but...you proved me wrong." Olivia answered quietly with tears welling up in her eyes

Jake took his hand to her cheeks and wiped her tears away with his thumbs. One of the things he hated most in the world was seeing Olivia cry and he'd be damned if he ever saw this again. "Hey, Olivia look at me. Remember when I told you I'm not going anywhere, I MEANT it. I'm never gonna leave you alone. I promise you.

"Thank you." Olivia cried.

**So, any theories on what that 'thing' is guys?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 – You are Not Alone in This**

It had been 2 weeks since Olivia had chosen to be with Jake and she couldn't have been happier. She has asked him to move into her apartment permanently and he happily obliged. She enjoyed all their times together doing basic couple like activities. Their days usually consisted of waking up in each others arms, having breakfast, Olivia going to work and Jake staying at home either watching sports on TV whilst also job searching, Olivia coming home to Jake cooking dinner for her and an evening of watching TV and falling asleep in each others arms again.

That morning, Olivia's face was the first thing Jake saw. He brought his hand to her face and stroked her cheek. "Morning beautiful." He said with a smile. Olivia's eyes slowly opened her eyes and was about to smile back before her smile turned into a frown. She had suddenly felt her stomach tightening and squeezing and loss of breath. She quickly sprung out of bed and ran to the bathroom.

"Olivia?!" Jake said with worry as he ran after her. He found Olivia with her head in the toilet about to puke so he began to rub her back and pull her hair back.

"Hey, you okay." he asked while still rubbing her back. Olivia looked at him with slight concern. "Yeah, I guess. It was probably just the take out we had last night." she replied.

"I had the same thing as you and I'm fine. Are you sure it's not something else? I mean there's only one explanation for being sick in the morning" Jake said. " Yeah I'm sure." Olivia looked at him sternly and noticed her tampons across the room and realised what could be wrong.

"What's the date today." She asked with worry. "Huh?" Jake said as he wasn't listening. "The date Jake, the date!" she repeated. "The 12th I think." Jake answered.

A look of definite worry appeared present on Olivia face. "I'm late, my periods late."

A wide smile appeared on Jake's face but it quickly changed when he realised Olivia wasn't so happy about this.

"I don't know why you're looking so happy Jake, I might not even pregnant." Olivia snapped. "But you should pick up some tests after work just in case because there's a high chance you could be." Jake advised her.

She looked at him with stern and worry but tried her best to hide it. "Okay fine. I'm gonna get ready for work and I'll go a pick up a test on my way home."

"All right, I'll leave you to get ready, I'm sure you don't wanna be late." Jake said before placing a kiss on her forehead.

It had come to the end of the work day and Olivia could barely concentrate. She had had multiple clients come through and she just wasn't in the right mindset to deal with them. Leaving the pharmacy with multiple pregnancy tests made her feel twice as anxious as she already was as she suddenly realised that this was a reality, she could actually be pregnant. She walked into her apartment and found Jake on the sofa watching TV and drinking a beer. He hopped up, walked over to her a gave her a kiss on the cheek. His attention immediately drawn to the drained look on her face.

"Hey, you okay, did you get them?" Jake asked. "Umm, yeah they're in my purse. Lets just get this over with." Jake watched her as she slowly strolled to the bathroom. Jake waited outside the door for until she came out. "So, now we wait?" Jake said with slight enthusiasm. "Yeah, we wait about 3 minutes." Olivia whispered.

Olivia and Jake both sat along the bathtub and waited. It seemed like forever. Both feeling different ways about the possible outcomes of the test. Olivia feeling anxious, Jake feeling excited. The 3 minutes were up and Olivia took a long breath before she picked up the test. A frown and display of worry appeared present on her face.

"It's positive." She said as she looked up at Jake with concern. She had always talked about have children when she was with Fitz but she was never really serious about it. The truth was, one of Olivia's biggest fears was motherhood. She felt lost and petrified. She was even putting abortion on the table and lying about it to Jake. She never thought she could be this heartless. She knew Jake would be and amazing father but she didn't want to bring a child into her life due to the fact that she was afraid of being a bad mother due to her disastrous upbringing and because of this felt she shouldn't have children just in case they go through the same.

Jake couldn't contain his happiness. He pulled Olivia in for a hug and held onto her, rocking her. "Oh my God I can't believe this! We're actually having a baby. Wait, you are happy about this aren't you?" He said as he rested his hands and her shoulders and started to rub them."

The concern look Olivia had never disappeared and was still present on her face from before. "To be honest, no I'm not." She replied softly as she walked out of the bathroom with tears in her eyes

"Well, why not. We're having a baby, I know it's sudden of course but it's still bitter-sweet." He said following her into the living room.

"I'm...I am happy about this." Olivia lied. Jake took a step closer to her and folded his arms. "No you're not Olivia. Don't lie to me."

Olivia turned around and continued to glare at him. "Fine, I'm not. I'm not happy about this. Being a mother scares me! Motherhood scares me! I couldn't give this baby everything he or she deserves. I mean look at me, look at my parents, my upbringing. What if I'm just like them? I can't bring a child into my screwed up life, I just can't!" Olivia sat down on the sofa and started to cry. Jake ran to her side and pulled her in for a hug. They both fell back onto the sofa whilst Jake rubbed her hair.

"Liv, I understand how you feel, but don't you ever compare yourself to them! You are the complete opposite, I know you're scared, I know this is sudden, I wish I could erase all the troubles of your childhood that caused these doubts and feelings you're feeling right now and although I can't I'm going to try my hardest to make you at least forget. Liv you're scared now but I know for a fact you will be the best mother on earth and this baby will be the best thing to happen to you, to us. You wanna know why?" "Why?" Olivia sniffled while Jake pulled some of her hair out of her face. "Because I'm here, I'm always here. You are not alone in this, you're never gonna be alone again. I love you Olivia Carolyn Pope and I love our baby and nothing in this world is gonna change that."

Jake's reassurance, comfort and security was all Olivia needed to hear to stop crying. She was still sceptical about the idea of motherhood but she knew as long as Jake was around, everything would be okay.

**Meanwhile at the Whitehouse **

Fitz sat back in his desk chair with a scotch in his hand. The past 2 weeks had been hell for him as he couldn't get over Olivia ending their relationship. It made his blood boil knowing she was no longer his but he didn't give up hope. Minutes after he finished his scotch, he heard a knock on the door. "Come in."

"Mr President, the photos you requested." "Thank you Hal, just leave it on the table."

Fitz got up from the desk and walked over to the small table to pick up the folder. There were many photos of Jake and Olivia, in her home, the park, her office. Fitz' began to scrunch the papers up and tear them apart in rage. His own actions began to surprise him. He was obsessed with Olivia and vowed to get her back one way or another and have her followed was just the beginning.

**Morning after**

Olivia woke up in the morning to find Jake's side of the bed empty. She wondered where he could be until she heard the sound of a glass shatter. She got out of bed and walked to her kitchen to find breakfast set out on the table and Jake sweeping up the glass. "What's this?" She asked with a smile. "Aw damn I wanted to surprise you." He said before kissing her and placing his hands on her stomach and then around her waist. "I've been up from six looking for jobs." "Jake, you didn't have to do that."

"Yes I did. You and this baby are my main priority, you and this baby come first and it's my job to provide for you both." Olivia raised her hand to his cheek and pulled him in for a kiss. "Come on Liv. Sit down." Jake said before kissing her temple. "Orange juice in wine glasses? Really?" Olivia said sarcastically. "Well get use to it cause you won't be drinking wine out of them for the next 9 months." Jake said. Olivia laughed at this as she and Jake raised both their glasses to place toast. "To new beginnings." Jake said as he stared into her eyes. "To new beginnings." Olivia repeated before they both put their glasses together.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 – Little Ballards**

**A/N: **I don't know a lot about the early stages of pregnancy or how it's handled in the States. Everything I write regarding the pregnancy will be based off of what I've seen in television and film so feel free to correct me on any inaccuracies.

**3 months later**

Today was the day of Olivia's first scan, the 12 week one. The past week had been pretty hectic for her and Jake. Jake's new job at the Pentagon kept him very busy, sometimes forcing him to come home to Olivia quite late and pregnancy began to take a toll on Olivia. She was throwing up twice as normal, feeling constantly hungry and was tired most of the time.

She was on her way to the obstetricians office when she received a voice mail message from Jake. "_Hey baby, I'm so sorry, I'm running late, work's really busy but I swear I'll be there as soon as I can. I love you." _Olivia sighed after hearing this message. She was starting to get frustrated with this but she just had to get on with it. She walked out her door and proceeded to the obstetrician's office

When Olivia entered the obstetrician's office, she felt so out of place, agitated and anxious. She began to worry about Jake and she was constantly fearing the worse for Jake. Maybe he was in a car accident or maybe he had been kidnapped, Olivia was having all kinds of thoughts. The fear of motherhood still weighed heavy on her she didn't want to be a single mother too. She began to fiddle around with her phone, this usually helped her calm down. She hated the combined stress of worrying about Jake's whereabouts and whether this appointment will go well. Jake promised he would never miss one or be late either, this just wasn't like him she thought. About 15 minutes later, the nurse called her name and she was more worried than ever. She didn't want to do this alone. She stood up, smoothed down her clothes and proceeded to follow the nurse down the corridor to the obstetrician's room. She heard footsteps running towards her and turned around. It was Jake. She sighed in relief as he ran towards her and placed his arm around her and kissed her.

"Hey! I'm sorry I'm late but there must've been some sort of accident and there was a diversion and I had to take the long route." "Well, that doesn't matter. You're here now." Olivia replied with a small smile.

He noticed the anxious look Olivia carried on her face. "Hey, look at me. Everything is going to be fine." He said as he rubbed her shoulders and smiled. Olivia smiled back. Jake placed his hand in hers and they both walked into the obstetrician's room together.

Seeing her baby on the screen, even though it was just flicker, instantly had her changing her scepticisms on motherhood. She already loved this baby more than life itself. She was so focused on the screen she didn't notice the tear that began to fall from Jake's eye. She heard him sniffle and turned her head. "Are you crying?" She asked with a smile on her face. "No, um, there's just something in my eye." Jake lied. "Right". Olivia said.

The scan went better than Jake and Olivia expected. Olivia's fears about the baby's well being were put at bay. The doctor had nothing but positive things to say about Jake and Olivia's unborn child. Olivia's pessimism was no longer existent and she and Jake were excited for the months ahead.

**Meanwhile at the White House**

Fitz still had Olivia and Jake under surveillance. He meant what he said about not giving up on Olivia and he was determined not to lose. He opened up the folder of photos he'd received earlier and what he discovered almost made him fall to the floor. Photos of Olivia and Jake leaving a clinic, holding hands and with an ultrasound photo in Olivia's left hand. She was pregnant. He had to grab onto the side of his desk to stay up. Although this was a setback, he was convinced Olivia still felt something for him and that all it would take for her to be his again was for them to be in the same room, alone. No matter how long they'd been apart, they always found a way back to each other. That's when he had an idea.

"Lauren!" Fitz yelled. Lauren walked into the oval office. "Yes Mr President?" Lauren answered. "I'd like to add someone new to the list of guests to invite to the state dinner. Olivia Pope and her partner Captain Jacob Ballard. "I'll get on it Mr President." "Thank you Lauren."

**Back at Olivia's Apartment**

It was around 8:00pm when Olivia and Jake had reached home. They had come back from Olivia's favourite restaurant after celebrating the scan going better than they had expected. Olivia had been yawning constantly since they left and couldn't think of anything but getting herself and the baby rested.

When she stepped through the door she removed her shoes immediately. "You can stay up if you like, I'm exhausted, I'm gonna call it a day. See you in the morning." She said as she kissed Jake on the cheek and walked in the direction of the bedroom. "No, I'll join you." Jake said as he followed her. "You sure?" "Yes, I just wanna be close to you anyway." He said as he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. They both got dressed into their night clothes and lay down on the bed. His arms were still wrapped tightly around her and they were both laying on their sides.

Jake kept his hand on her belly constantly rubbing it. "Hello? Can you hear me? I'm your daddy, I can't wait to meet you sweetie." Olivia turned her head up at him with a confused look on her face. "Sweetie? What makes you think it's a girl?" she asked. "I just do okay." "You want it to be a girl? Because I think it's a boy. My gut is telling me this and my gut is never wrong." She continued. "Oh yes, I forgot about your infamous gut. But I'm about 99% sure it's wrong this time because I'm telling you it's a girl. A very beautiful little girl, just as beautiful as her mother. With her mothers gorgeous and captivating eyes and her mothers smile that instantly lights up the room the smile that also puts a smile on her daddy's face" Jake laughed.

"How many kids do you want, in general I mean? You know for future reference?" Jake asked Olivia as he began kissing her neck. "I don't know. I'm okay with just this one I guess." She answered.

"Well, I'm not. We're gonna have loads of little Ballards. At least 4 I think, 2 girls and 2 boys. The girls will be your mini me's and the boys will be my mini me's. We'll watch them play outside everyday on the green lawn with the white picket fence, and we can spend weekends doing cute family activities like going the zoo and the movies." Both Jake and Olivia laughed at this statement. "You know what? That sounds like a plan." Olivia said before reaching in to kiss him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 – It's Always His Turn**

**A/N: I'm aware I said I'd update at least every week but a mixture of illness, my job and catching up on college work and a small amount of writers block has put a spanner in the works so I've made this chapter as long as I possibly could to make up for it taking so long for me to update and to apologise. I've been really busy the past few weeks too but I will be uploading at least 3 chapters during the Christmas holidays as I'll finally have a break giving me plenty of time to do so. I'm grateful for the support guys and I hope you continue to read and enjoy!**

It was Saturday morning and Olivia and Jake had decided to spend the day relaxing and to take some time out for themselves as they hardly got to do so these days with their jobs being so hectic and being focused on the baby and the pregnancy was still taking up some of Olivia's energy.

Jake had gotten up extra early to go out jogging before so he had time to spend the rest of the day with Olivia. After he had returned and entered the apartment building, he retrieved the post from Olivia's mailbox. He rummaged bills, promotional offerings, more bills and a letter from the white house. His instant thought wasn't a very optimistic one. "So now he's going to send letters here?" Jake thought to himself. He couldn't decide whether to keep this from Olivia or tell her straight. Despite the fact that he and Olivia were stronger than ever and had a child on the way he was still insecure about Olivia's feelings for him. He decided to tell her about it, he thought it couldn't be that much of a big deal for her. He made his way up back to the apartment with the mail in his hand. He entered to find Olivia curled on the sofa watching some mediocre game show.

Olivia turned her body around and folded her arms upon the side of the sofa. "Hey, how was your jog?" she asked.

Jake bent down to her level and rested his right palm on top of her her arms before leaning in to kiss her. "It was great, but it would've been greater if you were with me."

"Hmmm, I think I would've fell asleep on the park bench. Now that would've been embarrassing." Olivia said fighting back a yawn.

Jake pulled some of her hair out of her face before he said "I'll make you some tea. It will help you sleep." "Thank you." Olivia answered. Jake got up and walked towards the kitchen with the mail still in his hand. Olivia noticed as she watched him.

"Is that the mail?" She asked.

Jake had a sceptical look on his face, he was hoping she wouldn't notice but she did. He slowly turned around and answered. "Urmm, yeah, it is. Here you go." He said as he walked back over to her.

Olivia went through it. "Bills, bills, more bills, The white house?" She looked at the letter puzzled as to why she would have received one in the first place. She knew Fitz wasn't talking to her as she hadn't seen or heard from him since that day and she knew if he really wanted her he would just summon her as he usually would.

"I wonder what this is about." Olivia said as she slowly opened to envelope. Jake watched her nervously hoping it wasn't what he thought it was. The last thing he needed right now was the president stressing He and Olivia out or interfering in their lives. " What is it?:" Jake asked nervously. "It's an invitation to the state dinner, oh wow I totally forgot about this." Olivia answered.

Jake came and sat next to her. She rested her head on his lap and put her feet up in the sofa. Jake began to play with her hair and rub her arms as they continued to watch television. About 10 minutes after Olivia had opened the letter and Jake sat next to her, she finally opened her mouth to speak. "We don't have to go you know." Jake looked down at her. "What?" "I saw your face earlier, the state dinner, we don't have to go, not if you don't want us to." Jake continued to gaze into her eyes and play with her hair. "It's not that I don't want to go, it's just that..." Olivia cut him off. "You don't want to see him, you're nervous, I know." Olivia replied as she rubbed his chin. Jake continued to glare at her. "No, you know what, lets go. Besides, I've never been to one of these before, it sounds like fun. And why should we let him stop us from doing just that." Jake said. Olivia laughed at this. She loved how straight he was when it came to discussing certain things.

Jake lowered his head and cupped her chin to kiss her while she was still laid in his lap. "I love you you know." H**e** said before rubbing her belly. "And I love you too" he repeated before lowering his head to kiss her belly.

**1 week later**

Olivia was in her bedroom had been trying to fit into for the state dinner. She was excited but anxious at the same time. She hadn't seen or heard from Fitz in nearly 4 months and she didn't know what would happen between her and him if she bumped into him or was forced to be face to face with him. She thought about just simply avoiding him but she knew deep down that she wouldn't be able to pull that off knowing how persistent and desperate he is. "No it's not going to be that easy. I'm being silly." She thought to herself. She decided that shortly before she'd leave, she'd show her appreciation and gratitude for inviting her, say goodbye and leave it at that.

"Ugh, I thought this one would fit, nothing else does. I didn't think I'd be this fat at 3 months." She said as she looked at herself in the mirror. Jake came out of the shower drying his hair and put his arms around her waist looking at their reflections in the mirror. "you're not fat, you're beautiful." He answered before kissing her shoulder. "You better hurry up and get dressed. The car will be here here in a hour." Olivia said as she turned around and wrapped her hands around his neck, gave him a quick peck on the lips before backing away but Jake pulled her back into to him and began kissing her on her neck. She knew what his intentions were when he started doing this. "We've got plenty of time." He said as raised his eyebrow and pulled towards the bed and kissed her deeply. "No seriously, if we start that, we're never going to leave this house." Olivia laughed. "Damn it! Remind me again why I agreed to this?" Jake asked with a pouty face. "I need to find another outfit. And speaking of outfits, would you hurry and get your ass dressed." She said as she rose from the bed. "All right, all right." Jake said as he tapped her butt. She turned around and smiled at him.

The limousine had finally reached Olivia's apartment building. She and Jake rode to the White house together. When they reached the white house, they searched for their allocated seats. Olivia began to feel more anxious than she was already. She kept looking and glaring around the room through the corners of her eyes, looking curious and pondering when he was going to make an appearance. She did this so much she didn't even notice Jake repeatedly asked her if she was okay. "Huh?" Olivia said as she quickly spun her head around to face him. "I said are you okay?" He continued to focus on her. "Um, yeah. I'm just worried about the bump. I don't want anyone to notice." She lied. Deep down, Jake knew exactly why she was acting the way she was. He decided to just put it in the back of his mind and focused on her and the baby.

About 10 minutes later, the president had arrived on stage to deliver his annual speech. As soon as he stepped before the mic stand, his eyes immediately caught Olivia. He gazed at her for a short while before she turned away and he remembered he was supposed to be giving a speech. The rest of the evening was spent eating, drinking and socialising with other DC individuals. When the night came to an end. Olivia went to bathroom. She felt someone had been following her before she entered but she just ignored it as she thought she was overreacting. As soon as she was about to leave and opened the bathroom door, Hal was stood there before her.

"No." she said furiously.

"Maam..." Hal sighed

"NO." She barked furiously

"Miss Pope, I'm just doing my job." Hal answered exasperatedly

Olivia stormed out of the bathroom budging past him on the way. "Where the hell is he? Lead the way!" she said furiously with a furrowed brow as she motioned for Hal to move towards the presidents whereabouts. He had taken her to a small room where the president was rested amongst the side of a desk. Her facial expression remained the same as Hal left and she set her eyes upon Fitz. She noticed a small smirk appear on his face and she wasn't glad about it.

Fitz continued to glare at her, particularly her lower abdominal area before finally speaking. "Hi." He almost whispered.

"What do you want Fitzgerald?" She snapped.

"Full name? Someone's angry with me." he responded sarcastically

she slowly walked up to him and started pointing her finger at him. "You literally got Hal to summon me from the bathroom, so I came to the conclusion that this was important. This is the last time I'm going to ask you, WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"

"Well, I actually just wanted to say congratulations, on the new arrival." he answered

"How the hell did you..." Olivia whispered sharply before being cut off by him.

"You've been drinking water all night and you barely ate. I also caught you and Jake touching and glaring down at your stomach a few times. So, is this some sort of petty payback? You get yourself knocked to get back at me or to desperately trap because you know that he'll drop your ass straight away if he suspects that you still want me and we both know you do." Fitz he stated snarly.

With that statement, Olivia immediately raised her hand and smacked him across the face so hard her hand felt like it was on fire. His face had turned red and blood and he stood there with an incredibly startled look on his face. Olivia was even shocked at what she had done.

The furious facial expression she had on her face when she first came into the room appeared back on her face and she began to speak.

"Screw you, you egotistical, self centred son of a bitch! Not everything is about you!" After this, she went to storm out of the room. As she turned around she looked down at Fitz. "Don't ever come near me again!" When Olivia returned to the dining area, she noticed Jake was gone. "Where did he go?"

**A/N: So in case you haven't noticed, I've been trying to name my chapters after quotes spoken or heard on the show from Olivia and Jake in regards to their relationship. I obviously failed with my previous one as I couldn't think of a quote that I'd be able to associate with what happened in the chapter so if you guys could just list some that come to mind and let me know in reviews I'd really appreciate it,**

**Thank you, xoxo**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 – Normal is Overrated/Boring**

**A/N: ****Be sure to check out my other fic 'The Wrong Choice' if you haven't already.**

Olivia continued to look around the room and finally decided to search and actually ask the attendants where Jake had disappeared to. She could have sworn she asked about 50 people and she was beginning to worry. Tonnes of questions began to run through Olivia's mind. "Why would he just disappear without letting me know anything? Was he angry with me, was he upset, did he have other arrangements? Where the hell was he?" she thought to herself. She finally approached a waiter she hadn't yet spoken to about Jake's whereabouts.

"Hello, have you seen a man I came here with? Tall, dark hair, green eyes, navy uniform?" Olivia anxiously asked.

"Um, yeah he left about 15 minutes ago, took a cab I think, I saw him whilst I was on break." the young dark haired waitress answered. "Thank you." Olivia responded. She hoped she'd find him at home and called a cab instantly to pick her up.

Olivia entered her apartment to find Jake slouched back onto the sofa, looking frustrated and rubbing his hands over his temple. Olivia walked towards him and and rested her purse onto the stand stood next to her couch. "Why the hell did you leave the dinner without me? What the hell happened?" Jake ignored her and sighed. This annoyed Olivia to no end and she went to stand directly in front of him. "Jake, hello? Why did you leave me at the party? Your lucky I could get a cab." she said in a irritated manor.

"Like you left me to go see him?" Jake asked snarly. This instantly annoyed Olivia and she she began to get furious.

"Ugh, I should've known this was about Fitz. Look, nothing happened, well nothing you think happened. I went to the bathroom and..."

"I saw Hal follow after you Liv." He interrupted.

"Can you just let me explain?!" She yelled. Jake slouched back even further into the sofa sighing and placing his hand over his face. Olivia was beyond irritated at this point. She looked at him with a slight loathing face and suspected he wanted to say something.

"What?" she hissed

"Sometimes I wish we never left that island." Jake mumbled

"Excuse me?" Olivia asked.

"It's always going to be his turn isn't it? Despite the fact that you're carrying my child, he'll always come first won't he?" Jake responded as he rose from the sofa. Olivia continued to glare at him angrily. She couldn't believe what he was saying to her. She couldn't believe that he would think of her in that way.

Jake rose his head and looked directly in her eyes for what he was about to say. "Look, Olivia, if you want to be with him, if you want to try with him, then I'm fine with that but I'm just going to say this; that baby growing inside of you, is OUR baby, what WE made out of OUR love. As well as yours, this is also my child. No other man is going to play the father role in my child's life and I most certainly won't play second fiddle to our child either. I'm going to be there in every capacity."

Olivia had formed unshed tears in her eyes. Jake had realised just how far he had gone. "Wait, Liv I didn't mean." he said as he walked over to her. Olivia backed away from him and stormed off to the bedroom and slammed the door.

**Morning After**

Last nights conversation played over in Olivia's head as she lie in bed that morning. She really didn't want to acknowledge Jake's presence that day as he angered her beyond the limit and was knew getting any angrier would just be unhealthy for her and the baby so she decided to lay in bed as long as possible just to avoid him. That was until she felt queasy and decided to get out of bed and get a cup of tea to feel better. Jake usually did this for her but not this morning.

She walked through her living room and noticed Jake spread out and half asleep on the couch. She continued to walk past him until he spoke. He stared at her with almost puppy dog eyes and finally spoke. "Morning. Did you sleep okay? Is the baby okay?" Olivia continued to glare at him with furrowed brows. "Okay, I'm an ass. Look, I'm sor..." he said as he walked towards Olivia with open arms. He barely got to finish and hug her before she backed away from him, rolled her eyes and walked towards the kitchen. Jake just assumed it was her hormones causing her to act this way. He suddenly heard a scream come from Olivia and ran towards the kitchen.

"OLIVIA?!" When he reached the kitchen and found Olivia lying on the ground looking frustrated. He immediately reached over to her and tried to get her up, he was shocked by what she said next.

"Don't touch me!" Olivia yelled before rolling her eyes at him.

"Stop being ridiculous Olivia! We have to get to the hospital and check if the baby is okay."

"No Jake, I'm fine, seriously. Just get out my face."

"Fine". Jake said as he helped her up. "What happened anyway?" he asked.

"I slipped. The floor was wet. I don't even remember leaving it like this."

"Oh my God. I'm sorry, I spilt some water last night, I didn't realise...ugh I'm sorry, this is my fault."

"You're such a jackass! You do know what a mop is for right?" Jake started to laugh at this ans she soon laughed too. Jake helped up and carried her to the sofa. He noticed her staring at him.

"What?" He said softly to her

"We fight like a married couple. But I guess it's still normal, even though normal is boring. Maybe we should try normal, see where it takes us."

"Well, normal can also be a little bit boring but I think we can make it entertaining." Jake suggested with a seductive smirk on his face and a raised eyebrow.

"Oh yeah?" Olivia asked as she looked at him with a smirk on his face. She moved towards him and he pulled her on top of him. "Oh yeah." he repeated as she laughed. Jake pecked her on the lips and stared into her eyes as he moved his head from her face.

"I'm sorry about what I said." Jake stated

"Jake..." Olivia answered with a shaky voice

No, don't say another word. I should've never begrudged your love for me, I was an idiot and again, I'm sorry." Jake responded as he rubbed her back and played with her hair.

Olivia lowered her head again to kiss him. "Nothing happened between us I swear. I went to the bathroom and Hal followed me. I thought I might as well go as he isn't going to give. He sussed I was pregnant, said some awful stuff and I slapped him and told him to never come near me again, that's all."

Jake felt slightly angered at hearing this. "What did he say?"

"Nothing you need to worry about." Olivia reassured.

"Okay". Jake moved his head into hers again to kiss her deeply than he did before. They both lay in each others arms for the rest of the morning.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 – I never had a family anyway**

Just like every other weekday, Olivia was at work. Running a crisis management had it's perks as well as pits, handling clients and their problems at no means necessary and damn near breaking laws to do so. She'd ask herself everyday could these cases get any more ridiculous and the answer to that was always no. Having one of the most complicated professions in Washington DC would usually take a toll on her personal life.

Nowadays she'd usually think about how her personal life would take a toll on her professional life. Being at that stage in pregnancy where you really have to take into consideration how much your life's about to change, it was the only thing that would stay on her mind. Now that she had another life to think about she knew these days would have to come to a temporary halt and that this would no longer be her main priority her child would. This scared her as for the past 3 years it was all she knew, all she had but regardless of this she wanted to do what was best for her child and she was going to do that and more.

Her thoughts came to a halt when her phone began ringing. "Who is this?" She wondered. She hit the answer button. It was Jake's voice on the other line.

"I told you not to call me at work, you know I'm busy." Olivia laughed

"What? I can't call my girlfriend now?" Jake sarcastically asked. "How are you, how's the baby?"

"We're fine, I'm just a little stressed out about this case though. Another senator, another sex scandal, what the hell else is new?" She sighed

Jake gave an empathetic sigh back. "You're not cooking tonight are you?" He wondered as he twiddled his pen around and lifted his legs upon the desk.

"Um, no. why? Were you going to?" Olivia asked.

"Yep, you know it. And then we can just curl up on the sofa and watch a movie. How does that sound?" He asked her with such enthusiasm.

"That sounds perfect! I'll be home around 6:00. I gotta go, I've got another client on the line." "Okay, I'll see you later. I love you." Jake said before hitting the end call button on his phone.

Olivia reached home a little later than expected. The senator and the sex scandal had really drained her out and taken up most of her day. She unlocked her door, stepped through her apartment to the fresh smell of something roasting in the oven and took it all in. She found it to be unusual as she would rarely ever cooked before and all she and Jake had been eating since he moved in was takeout. Jake walked towards her, wrapped his arms around her waist and went in for a kiss.

"Hey, dinner will be ready shortly. Sit down and relax." He said with a smile

"Okay, I'll be in the living room." She answered.

10 minutes later she entered the dining room to find the dinner spread out on the table. She was astonished that Jake could come up with this. "Wow, you outdid yourself. Where did you learn to cook like this?" She wondered. "Well I got a lot of practice when I was a kid." He answered.

After Olivia and Jake had had dinner. They decided to cuddle up on the sofa and watch television. Jake was leaned back with his legs rested upon the coffee table and his arm wrapped around Olivia's body whilst Olivia was leaned into his chest with her left arm rested on his abdomen. She found herself rapidly flicking through the channels trying to find something to watch that wasn't Christmas related. "Wow, a lot of Christmas shows are on huh?" "Well, it is December baby." Jake joked.

He looked down at her face and noticed something was on her mind. "Speaking of Christmas, what are we doing for the holiday." he questioned.

"Well, I don't really do Christmas. I never really did take it seriously since I was a kid." She answered with near tears in her eyes. She had hoped to avoid this question from him as she didn't want to talk about Christmas and simply avoid the whole thing."I never took it seriously because I never had them as a kid. For the first twelve years of my life, my parents just always seemed to be working. I'd spend Christmas with whatever nanny was available at the time and then my mum and dad would try and make up for it by showering me with gifts like it would actually make a difference, my Christmas was still ruined. And while I was in boarding school it just got worse. My dad would send me a card and a small gift and he'd leave it at that."

Jake noticed she was getting more tearry eyed and stroked her cheek. "What about you? What were your Christmases like?" She asked him

"You need families to have Christmases and I never really had a family anyway. My sister and I had to entertain ourselves when my father was passed out and my mother spent all day in bed depressed. Emily and I would spend eve looking out for Santa until we fell asleep. Then we'd wake in the morning and unwrap the presents we'd got for each other. And instead of Christmas dinner we'd eat cereal and candy all day because then I couldn't actually cook." He laughed.

"I don't want that for our baby. I don't need my child going through Christmases every year wondering if their Mummy and Daddy actually give a damn." She told him as she looked up at him.

"Don't worry, that's not going to happen, I'm not going to let that happen. And I'm going to make sure you have many great Christmases from this point on, I promise!" He assured her.

"Thank you." She whispered before kissing him on the cheek.

Jake continued to hold on to her until the movie they had been watching finished. When he noticed she was drifting off to sleep, he thought he'd quickly talk to her.

"Hey Liv."

"Yeah?" She yawned

"I want you to meet my mother, she'll really like you. How about we go back to my hometown at the end of the week, I wanna do it before the holidays and I haven't told her about the baby yet. What do you say?"

"Yeah sure, that would be great. I really want to meet her anyway, as soon as possible." She responded whilst rubbing her eyes.

"Okay." He agreed as before pulling the blanket over her and leaving her to rest.

**A/N: ****So I know this chapter might've been a little boring but I'm just trying to keep the serious stuff and the fluffy moments separated. Don't worry we'll get back to Fitz' intentions and more Olitz chapters (Don't worry, they're not happy chapters because I'd chop my right arm off before I take their relationship seriously as a love story) after the New Year. I'm just trying to keep things calm for now so I can focus on my other story The Wrong Choice. Check it out if you haven't already. **

**I won't be uploading until next week so Happy Holidays to you all! xx**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 – I Never Had a Family Anyway II**

**A/N: Hello guys, hope you all enjoyed the holiday, however you spent it. Yes I am aware Christmas has gone but I needed to upload this chapter for it to fit in well with what I have planned for the next chapter. **

Jake arrived home from a busy shopping spree. He had tonnes of bags in his possession containing many Christmas decorations, gifts and even a tree he could just about manage.

He entered the apartment to find Olivia on the sofa watching the news channel BNC with her computer rested on her laptop and a glass of non alcoholic wine in her hand.

"Wow, someone's been busy." She says when she sees all of Jakes bags.

"Yeah I have. Hang on, are you drinking wine?"

"No, of course not. Don't worry it's non alcoholic."

"Oh okay."

"So what's in all the bags." Olivia says as she rummages through one of them deeply to find a Christmas wreath.

He takes the wreath out of hand and looks down at it. "Great huh? It was the last one on sale.

"Okay, but why did you buy all this stuff?" She asked him

"Because I told you we were going to have brilliant Christmases from this point on and Christmases aren't complete with wreathes, lights, tinsel and a perfect tree." He said before kissing her forehead and pulling the tree up.

"Oh, let me help you with that." She offers.

"No way! I don't want you lifting anything heavy, or anything in that matter. Especially in your condition." He quickly refused.

"My condition? I'm pregnant Jake not dying." She answers with a little laugh.

He pulled the tree up and moved it towards the nearest corner in the room. He then walks over to where the bags are and carries them back over.

"You can however, help me with this decorating." He proposed as he pulled tinsel out and handed it to her.

"You know, this is the first time I've ever done this before." Olivia told as she tried to wrap the tinsel around the tree.

"Well there's no wrong or right way to do it. You just do it your way." He answered

"So, you ready for tomorrow, your mum knows we're coming? I only ask because I know you haven't seen her in so long so..."

Jake cut her off. "6 years." He uttered

"Yeah, look we don't have to go if you don't don't feel up to it." She told him as she placed more baubles onto the tree

"No, I want to go. I need to do this. I need to see her." he answered

"Okay." She whispered

"I can't wait for our kids to do this. We'd decorate with popcorn strings and candy canes and they'd eat them and try to hide it from us."

"Oh, we're still with the more than one kid thing." Olivia jokingly asked.

"Yeah of course we are. I'm going to make sure we have at least 4." He told her as he finished decorating. He then wrapped his arms around her and stood back to admire the tree they had finished decorating.

"Did you ever do this as kid?" Olivia asked him as she removed herself out of his embrace. And towards the shopping bags

"I remember doing it once when I was really little, Emily and I had scoffed every candy cane off the tree by the next day." He laughed before sadly sighing.

Olivia thought about asking him about his sister and going into more detail but she notice the upset in his face whenever he did so she just left it aside.

"So what's in here? More decorations?" She said as she went to rummage through them. Jake qucikly ran over to her and took the bags out of her hand.

"Uh, no those are gifts." He said before kissing her on the lips.

"Well I hope there's a Du bellay in there."

Jake looked at worriedly.

"Relax I was kidding." she said before laughing at his reaction. He did the same.

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"Hey, get up we'll be late!" Olivia yelled as she hit Jake's leg while he was still sleeping in bed. He rolled over and gave Olivia a half smirk. "Okay, okay I'm up." He said in a draggy voice.

He rose out of bed and walked past Olivia to the bathroom to proceed with his shower. He was nervous about seeing his mum for the first time in 6 years. He was contact with her however the contact was minimal. During the long drive, all he could think about was how his mother would react to his visit. Although he had spoke to her beforehand he was afraid she might have had a sudden change of heart of seeing him. He thought about whether Olivia and his mother would get on, that was one of his main concerns too.

He was pulled from his thoughts when Olivia began to nudge him. "How much longer, I really need the bathroom." She asked him

"We're about half an hour away." He answered before taking her hand in his and kissing it.

They reached the house earlier than expected. The town of Bloomington was practically a ghost town. Not a lot of people around, basic stores that looked like they were on the verge of bankruptcy, dirty streets and a few abandoned homes. The area in itself was clearly deprived. The street Jake grew up seemed to be okay. It looked a little more suburban despite the fact that hardly any individuals lived there.

When they pulled up at his home, Olivia noticed a change in Jake. He seemed more conflicted than he was before. She wanted to know what was plaguing his mind and get the reason behind his distant behaviour.

Olivia got out of the car to retrieve her bags. Jake came out after her. "It's okay I got it." Jake told her as he grabbed the bags before she could.

An older woman came out the home they were parked in front of. She looked like she was around late 50s, early 60s but she looked good for her age. She had long wavy sandy hair and green eyes just like Jakes. She was around 5'4 and wore large round glasses with a large orange cardigan around her, she seemed a little eccentric too. Jake's eyes lit up when he saw her come down the steps.

"Jacob? Jacob honey how are you?! I've missed you so much!" She screamed with excitement

Jake immediately ran into her arms and hugged her tightly. Olivia saw the wide smile appear on his mothers face which put a smile on hers also. A tear also fell down her eye as she gleefully hugged her son. Jake appeared to do the same. He let go of her as they had been hugging for longer than expected, remembering he still had Olivia to introduce to her.

He walked over to her and took her by the hand leading her towards the steps of the house and his mother.

"Um, mum, this is my girlfriend Olivia. Olivia, this is my mother Eleanor."

"It's very lovely to meet you Mrs Ballard." Olivia said anxiously but excitedly too.

"Oh dear, don't be silly call me Eleanor!" She said before she tightly took Olivia in her embrace. Olivia was a little stunned by this.

"Well, let's go inside, it's getting cold out here mum and that cardigan doesn't very warm." Jake suggested as he took his mum by her back tried to lead her inside.

She quickly snapped back around towards Olivia.

"Oh, I almost remembered! Did you really have sex with the President?! Come on, just tell, between us girls, I can keep a secret." She said as she nudged Olivia twice in the arm and winked at her.

"Okay mum come on, lets go. I'm sure you don't want dinner to burn." He said more sternly as he quickly ushered her into the house. He looked back at Olivia and smiled as she entered.

"OH MY GOD! YES DINNER, I MUSN'T FORGET ABOUT THAT!" Eleanor yelled as she hurried into the kitchen.

Jake took he and Olivia's bag to his childhood bedroom. He wanted to just breakdown being in there as she was instantly reminded of many good and bad memories from his childhood but he didn't want Olivia to see him this way.

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During dinner, Olivia noticed Jake was still looking conflicted by something but she didn't want to pry or bother him. Suddenly, an older man came through the door jingling his keys in his hand and humming a Frank Sinatra song. He was tall, had brownish/grey hair and was wearing a short sleeve shirt with blue jeans.

"Who the hell are you?! Jake said as he stood up but Olivia quickly tried to get him to sit down.

"Woah buddy, calm down, I'm..." He was cut off by Jake

"You're who? What the hell are you doing in my mothers home?" He half yelled

Eleanor heard the commotion and quickly came running. "Jakey, it's okay honey, relax."

"'Mum who is this?"

"My surprise!" She did a surprise sign with her hands enthusiastically. "This is my partner, Jeffrey." She said gleefully.

She noticed the look on her sons face as he was a little confused. "Oh my god, you're upset aren't you? I didn't realise this would happen! I thought you'd like him! I'm so sorry Jake! Please, please forgive..." She started yelling distraughtly.

Jake quickly cut her off. "Mum, MUM, it's okay, I'm just a little surprised."

"Oh, okay." she said after calming down.

"It's fine. Lets start over. Nice to meet you Jacob." Jeffrey said as he pulled out his hand to shake with Jake's

"You can call me Jake, and it's nice to meet you too

"Oh! I just remembered something!" Eleanor screamed as she quickly perked back up. She ran up the stairs to return with a box full of knitting essentials and clothing. She rested the box on the coffee table and quickly grabbed Olivia pulling her out of her seat.

"Oh I can't tell how glad I am about being a grandma! This is so exciting! I wanted you and Jake to see these." She pulled out lots of hand knitted items such as blankets and jumpers in pink and blue.

"I have been working on these all week. I got blue incase it's a boy and pink incase it's a girl." said excitedly

"Wow mum, you didn't have..."

She spoke much more faster. "Or maybe twins, you know you could never be too sure."

"Mum..."

"Oh my God, what they're both girls or both boys?!"

"Mum..." Jake continued

"Or even triplets?!" She continued

Jake went up to her and rested his arms softly on her shoulders

"Mum, we're having one baby. And we don't know the sex yet. We'll take both."

He gently took the knitted items out of her hands

"Oh okay." She said sadly but calmly.

"Hey mum, why don't you go upstairs and rest, you seem tired. I can handle the dishes."

"Yeah I'll help." Olivia offered

Jeffrey took Eleanor up the stairs to reassure she was okay. After he and Olivia had finished clearing the table he took her outside to the back garden to talk.

"So, your mother's...exciting."

"It's okay Liv, you can say weird."

"No, I never wanted to say that!"

"She um, has bi-polar disorder. Since I was a kid."

"Oh." Olivia noticed he was focused on the swing in by the tree. Tears began to well up in his eyes. She walked over to him and tightly held his hand. "What's wrong." She asked him.

"My dad use to bring me out here and..."

"You don't have to tell me." she said

"No I want to. My dad use to take me out here and i'd think he'd changed his ways and stopped drinking, and that he just wanted be a better father and push me on the swing, but he'd just tie me up with the rope and leave me there, sometimes all night. And whilst I was out here, he'd go into my sisters room and..." He paused. "It went on for years. I'd usually wake up to find him beating my mother too and... one morning he dragged us all out of our beds and forced us into the car for us to a drive,. I had never been so scared in my life. The son of a bitch was drunk and crashed into a tree. She died...instantly." He broke down in tears. Olivia was just as distraught as him. She'd never seen him this way. She wrapped her arms around him and let cry it out, with his head down on her shoulder as she rubbed his back

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Jake had woke up in his old bedroom to find Olivia in his arms. He was grateful to have her by his side earlier on that night, he'd never shown that much emotion towards anyone before and he was glad Olivia was one of the only people he could do that with.

He rose out of bed before kissing her shoulder to go downstairs to get some water. He found his mum in the armchair by the fireplace with a family photo album in her lap she was flicking through.

"Mum, it's late. What are doing up?" Jake asked as he walked over to her and rested his hand on her shoulder. He took seat in the armchair opposite her

"I was just looking at this photo. Remember this?" She pointed at a photo of Emily and Jake dressed as a ladybug and spider for Halloween one year. "She wouldn't take it off for about a week, she was obsessed with the costume."

"Yeah, I remember." Jake uttered before laughing to disguise the upset.

"It's okay to talk about her dear." Eleanor reminded him

"I know, it's just, I miss her mum. I really do." He said with tear welling up in his eyes

"I know, I know dear. I do too! She cried as she put her hand on his shoulder."

They were quiet for that moment, just casually enjoying viewing the photos and appreciating the very few good memories they had. Jake broke the silence and moment by speaking again.

"Hey mum?"

"Yes dear?"

"Do you still have grandma's ring? You know, the one intended for Emily?"

"Yes, dear. I would never lose something so precious. Why do you ask anyway?"

"Becuase I remember grandma telling you, after Emily's burial that you should keep it safe for me to give the woman I truly love and..."

"Go on dear."

"I want to ask Olivia to marry me."

**A/N: DUN, DUN, DUUUUN! Great cliff-hanger right? LOOOL, you guys are probably cussing me out for leaving you in the lurch like this. But anyways, I hope you all have a happy new year! xx**


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